While we may be just less than a year away from the highly anticipated flick, some very lucky people got their first glimpse of Mr. Grey in action.
Those at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday were treated to a five-minute look at E L James’ erotic novel turned movie. Their reactions have already been making the rounds from CinemaCon attendees. Here’s what they’re saying:
What’s Missing
It’s no secret that probably everyone watching this footage was hoping for some steamy sex scenes, but it looks like we will have to wait until it hits the big screen for some action. The clip focuses on the romance developing between Christian Grey, the billionaire tycoon and the good-girl college student Anastasia Steele. Studio chairman Donna Langely promised the crowd of viewers that stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson “have the kind of chemistry that could turn this into the next iconic romance.”
“While the movie promises to be filled with all kinds of taboo carnal relations, what was shown in the clips was very PG-rated (they didn’t even mention the word “sex”),”CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg writes, “Of course, there was plenty of innuendo and suggestion of Christian Grey’s habits behind locked doors, but none of it was explicitly shown. The closest is came to showing anything even remotely R-rated was Ana tied to a bed with a blindfold on, but even that shot lasted only about a half a second.”
What Made It
While they may have opted to keep the footage PG, they didn’t leave out everything.
“The clip showcased the burgeoning romance, filling the screen with some of the iconic moments fans of the book will remember, like the first introduction in his office: Anastasia nervous and earnest; Grey, handsome and aloof,” Entertainment Weekly’s Nicole Sperling wrote. “Grey’s surprise appearance at the hardware store and his helicopter also make an appearance. Plus audiences were given a sense of the Grey psyche with Dornan uttering, “Hearts and flowers: That’s not who I am.”
The Performances
Probably just as anticipated as the sensual scenes is how Dornan and Johnson play the characters. Grey is a complex, sexy individual with a penchant for the erotic, while Ana is a clean-cut innocent college student.
“As for the actors, Johnson appears to play Anastasia’s wide-eyed perspective appropriately and certainly looks good with a reddish brown dyed hair,” Gregory Ellwood of HitFix wrote. “Jamie Dornan is handsome and has that debonair thing down, but…whether the two of them have genuine chemistry remains to be seen.”
Final Word
While still so many questions remain unanswered, it seemed like the five-minute teaser left viewers wanting more, with Variety writing that “Universal played it safe.”
However, LA Times writer Amy Kaufman pointed out that the footage may have been stripped of its sexiness due to its audience.
“It’s of course possible some of that footage was of the toned-down sort thanks to the CinemaCon crowd, which can be a more buttoned-up group,” Kaufman wrote. “Still, that only underscores the balance Universal must strike in selling this film to a large mainstream audience, some portions of which may have appreciated the explicitness in the privacy of their own home more than they will in the communal setting of a movie theater.”
“Fifty Shades of Grey” hits theaters February 13, 2015.
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